Baby got back...

So, we've all got issues with our bodies, yeah? Whether it's a smaller waist, a bigger bust or a rounder booty that you dream of, we are all linked for the most part by a constant desire for a better physique. Some people are so driven by these desires for a better body that they will do anything to get the perfect form - working out, dieting or sometimes even going under the knife to achieve results. Well, for those of you out there suffering from FBS (Flat Butt Sydrome, and yes I did just make that up) I have found a relatively inexpensive, non-invasive and totally pain free way to show off what little booty you do have, and create the illusion that you've got a perfect derrière. They're called Fidelity Denim, and I just picked up my first pair this weekend.

Fidelity Denim is known for its "butt-enhancing cuts." Whether you want more booty, less booty or rounder booty, a pair of Fidelity jeans will give you the help you need. Ladies, if you've ever found yourself envying the likes of Beyonce, Shakira or even J.Lo for their "assets" well, these are the jeans for you. Personally, it's a little lift and shape that my bottom needs, so I opted for a pair of "The Dream" Classic Denim Trousers. As you may know, pocket placement is crucial when it comes to a fabulous back view. Higher placement means a perkier bottom because pockets that are too low lengthen your backside and shorten your legs. The Dream denim trousers have pockets placed just right for my rump, and the effect is a plumper, perkier derrière, which is exactly what I was looking for.

It doesn't hurt that I found these beauties at Winners for 60% off the regular retail price, either!

My new fave jewelry designers: Foxy Originals

So, on labour day weekend a group of us headed down to Seattle for the annual weekend long music festival, Bumbershoot. As always, we had a blast at the music fest, this year getting to take in some amazing shows like Joss Stone, John Legend, Lupe Fiasco and the legendary Wu-Tang Clan! I had a wedding to go to on the 1st, so we weren't able to make it down for some other concerts that I would have loved to see, mainly The Shins, Panic! at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, and even Sean Paul and Fergie. Well, there's always next year and Bumbershoot never disappoints so I just know that whoever is playing next year, it will be great!

One of the downsides of crossing the Canada/US border on long weekends of course is the long, long wait at the border. This year, we opted to take the truck crossing instead of going the normal Peace Arch route, but obviously everyone else was thinking the same thing so we ended up having to wait for hours in line anyways! We ended up passing the time tossing a football around while the cars were at a standstill, and also by taking a trip into the Duty Free shop, which I haven't gone into in years. I'm glad I did, too, because I absolutely fell in love with a new jewelry line while I was in there - they're called Foxy Originals, and their pieces are some of the absolute cutest pieces of jewelry I've seen in a long time! It turns out that Foxy Originals is actually a Canadian company (yay!) based out of Toronto, and they've been turning out their fun, playful pieces since 2003. I picked up a Lilith necklace (pictured above) in gold, and have my eye on a few other pieces - the matching Lilith earrings, the Bombay earrings and the Eve earrings are definitely going to be mine soon! Check out their website at www.foxyoriginals.com and I'm sure you'll find a little bling to love, too!

Inspiration for the would-be entrepreneur

A year ago I quit my full time job to follow my dream and start my own business. Deciding to strike out on my own and forgo the comfort of receiving a regular paycheque with someone else's signature on it was by far the scariest and most important decision I've ever had to make. For me, it was not an easy decision by any means, since I loved my job and the people I worked with, and for the most part was content with my career. It would have been very easy for me to stay right where I was - working my way up in a company that I believed in and felt appreciated at, having a regular 9-5 job with a stable income guaranteed every month and enjoying my evenings and weekends off to have a personal life (which any business owner will tell you doesn't happen once you've started the business). But the entrepreneurial bug, as they say, bit me and held on for dear life; it wouldn't go away until I had at least tried. (If you can't stand cliches, then I suggest you skip the next couple sentences!) Someone once said that "as you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things that you didn't do," and I knew that I'd regret it immensely if I didn't at least try my hand at being a business owner.

Now, once I'd made the decision to give it a go, staying motivated was key. I'm not going to lie, there were millions of times that I thought to myself "this is crazy, who are you to start your own business? This will never work, you should just go get your old job back" and I had to work at staying motivated despite the many obstacles that I faced throughout the whole start up phase of my business. One way that I stayed motivated, and I think that this made the difference between packing it in and giving up when the going got rough for me, was by constantly immersing myself in books and articles about successful entrepreneurs. One of my favourite books is "Starting from Scratch" by Wes Moss. In it, Moss shares the stories of 21 "regular people who made the entrepreneurial leap" and are now thriving in the business world. Reading their stories and seeing that they all faced and overcame the same obstacles that I was now facing was truly inspirational to me. Others books that I read and drew inspiration from were "The Bear Necessities of Business: Building a Company with Heart" by Maxine Clark, the founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop and "Pour Your Heart Into It" by Howard Shultz, Founder and CEO of Starbucks. I've read tons and tons of business books, including the standards like "The E-Myth" and "In Search of Excellence" etc, but these 3 in particular stood out for me, as they are about regular people like me who took took the leap and made it. I would recommend them to any would-be entrepreneur looking for a little inspiration during the tough times of following your entrepreneurial dream...

Fave Handbags hits Richmond, BC!

Ok, so I know I said I'd try to blog at least once a week, and then proceeded to NOT blog for a few weeks, but I have a good excuse. We've been working away at getting the online ordering function on the website ready, plus I had a handbag party to plan for this past weekend! The party was in Richmond, and it was a huge success. I'm proud to say we even had a local celebrity grace us with her presence - Joy MacPhail was in the house woohoo! The Mexican Fiesta theme went off without a hitch, empanadas and sangria warmed our bellies and the games and prizes were enjoyed by all. The ladies all got a chance to see the Fave Handbag line up close and play around with all of the fabric choices, and in the end lots of awesome handbag creations were designed that day! Thanks to all the ladies who came out to our fun, fabulous, Fave afternoon!!

Going live...

Wow, I can't believe this day has finally come! Today, our website, www.favehandbags.com, went live on the net, and I have to admit some days I thought it was never going to happen. It was almost a year ago that I decided to quit my job as office manager at Nannies on Call to make my dream of starting this business a reality, and it feels like much longer than that. This is also my first foray into the world of blogging, and it's something I'm going to have to get used to. It's a little strange, isn't it? Kind of like giving the world constant access into your personal journal, or better yet, a glimpse right into your brain and the crazy, wacky or sometimes boring thoughts you spend your days dwelling on. Me, I've been eating, breathing and sleeping this handbag business for the last year, and I have to say it has been the most exhilarating year of my life.

When I was attending the Venture Program at BCIT, which is an entrepreneurial skills training program, we were strongly encouraged to start a blog. People obviously blog for many different reasons, some strictly personal, others purely professional, and some are a mixture of both. My blog will be the latter; I will attempt to update weekly whether it be personal or business matters that find their way into this lil' ol' blog o' mine. I can't say for certain that I will be able to maintain my intended weekly schedule of blogging, but I will do my best. For now, I'll end this entry with the inspirational quote that helped me through the past year and kept me motivated and moving forward.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

- excerpt from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, by Marianne Williamson